Peace Hurt himself.....

Well today I went outside to check on my baby because I slept over at my fathers house (here) last night. When I went outside Peace was on his chain which means two things, He had done something bad, or my father was moving stuff around. Well...with my luck it was the first one, He'd been bad. My father told me that yesterday Peace was jumping up onto my father's tools and knocking them down, so my father chained him up during the day. Last night he got let off again and started doing the same, so he got chained up again. I noticed that Peace was limping when he was walking around after I let him off and he wasn't his playfull energetic self, which is extreamly odd. So I checked his back leg and his forth toe nail (the one pointing outside) on his right back leg was ripped up. I took him inside to get a better look and thats when I noticed it was bleeding, bad. Since he doesn't like the tile I had to drag him into the bathroom, which was a real hassle. There is blood everywhere! Its's a huge mess! Once we got into the bathroom I check his toe, it was bleeding really bad, and so I put some pressure on it so that it might stop, but it didn't and it hasn't. What can I do to stop it? what should I put on it? should I wrap something wround his whole foot to keep him from chewing at his toe nail? please HELP!! Right now Peace is taking it easy and laying down beside me on the floor. oh yeah and he also isn't eating that much, could this be because of his toe? Thanks!

no the nail isnt all the way off, its ripped down the middle, and thats where its bleeding from. And I suggejested that we take him to the vet but my father refuesed, and plus since he is MY dog I have to pay for everything, which I do not mind at all! But I have no money at the moment and my father wont pay for it and let me pay him back >.< I just need some tips on how to take care of this at my home.

You should rinse it out with some warm water or Hydrogen Peroxide and bandage it up. And don't let him move much becuase it could just bleed more. And if he isn't eating much it is probably because of the pain. If you can't take him to the vet you should keep an eye on the toe so you know when it stops bleeding and you can see if thiers any more damage done. Good luck

Suddenly you notice – there’s blood on your dog’s paw and he is limping and licking his paw. When you take a closer look you see the problem – a terrible torn toenail. Toenail problems, specifically torn or broken nails, are common in dogs but rarely life-threatening. Nevertheless, they are quite painful.

Nails often get snagged on fabric or carpet fibers, and in an attempt to dislodge the attached material, your dog might pull away, tearing the nail in the process. You might not even notice until you see blood or your dog begins to limp or cry. If left untreated, a torn nail can bleed intermittently and become infected, not to mention the pain and irritation for your dog.

Veterinary Care

Some torn nails can be treated at home if your pet will allow it, but veterinary care can reduce the potential for infection and provide easy removal of the torn nail. Depending on the extent of the tear, removal of the nail at the level of tear is usually sufficient. This is most easily done with nail trimmers. After removal of the broken part, your veterinarian may apply a temporary bandage to stop bleeding. He may also prescribe an antibiotic to prevent infection.

Home Care

If you try to treat your dog at home, remember: a torn nail is painful for your dog and you should take care to avoid getting bit. The following steps are important:

Initially, you will have to stop the bleeding. You can use silver nitrate or styptic pencils. If you don’t have either of these, try cornstarch or flour. When placed on a bleeding nail, these generally stop the bleeding.

Removing the loose nail is the most difficult part of caring for the torn nail. Most often, you can just yank the loose piece of nail off very quickly. If the nail doesn't come off easily, you can try to use a pet nail trimmer and remove the nail at the level of the break. Remember, this will probably hurt your dog for a second. If the tear in the nail is high up and near the base of the nail, don't attempt to remove it with trimmers. If the nail isn't easily pulled off, see your veterinarian for treatment. The last bone of each toe is very close to the beginning of the nail. Without experience, you may end up hurting your dog more than you realize.

If you successfully remove the damaged part of the nail, gently wash the area with warm water to remove any debris lodged between the nail and the toe or leg. Then apply a temporary bandage if necessary for bleeding. Take care not to wrap the bandage too tight so circulation will not be damaged. Leave it in place for 12 to 24 hours.

If you do not feel comfortable taking care of a torn nail, call your veterinarian. Leaving a torn nail to heal on its own (which will not happen) or allowing the nail to grow out is not a recommended option. This causes persistent irritation and possible repeat breaks.

If there is ANY way you can get him to the vet, I would highly advise it. If he tore it on some tools he had lying around, there is a high chance for infection. Please do what you can and bring him in.

i would suggest a trip to the vet first and foremost, but since that isnt possible, clean the wound thoroughly. rinse well with peroxide. if you have any liquid bandaid, that works well to stop the bleeding and protect the wound. if not wrap it securely and keep the area dry and clean. also, watch him closely, that he does not try to chew on the area. sorry to hear that your pet is injured, and wishing him a speedy recovery. (((((( hugs ))))))

Thanks you guys, this really helped me out a lot! I would defiantly take him to the vet if I had money at the moment OR if Father would just pay for it and let me pay him back!! Gr. But I'm just going to have to take care of this on my own. I'll update you in a bit once I'm done with it >.< Poor Peace =(

Well I just got done with Peace's toe nail. Peace was very corropative(sp?) and let me do everything I needed to do. I soaked his foot in wamr water first then put some flour on his toe nail for the bleeding and soak, repeat. After that I tooked off the part that was hanging off, That was a little difficault but Peace didn't cry or anything. After that more blood came so I did the flour soak repeat thing. Then I washed out his toe nail with Antiseptic Wash and then put lots of Triple Antibiotic Ointment on it, Wraped hid whole foot with a gauze bandage and then put a sock over that for extra protection and rolled the top of it down and tied it with a Pink ribbon, not too tight though. Peace is'nt chewing at it or anything! I am so happy at how he is responding with all of this! He is going to stay inside all day with me today and probably all night then tomarrow ill take off the gauze bandage and clean his toe nail again. He's asleep roght now by my computer chair, and he looks like a little angle. Today I have to puppy sit his neiece Luci so he'll get to have some company, but I'm not letting him walk that much. Thanks for all of your tips! They really helped a lot! Peace will be getting extra dog treats, his favortie "Canine Carry Outs Bac'n Bites" and hopefully he'll have a fast recovory! Ill be sure to keep you updated. Keep us in your hopes and prayers!

Pip ripped off a nail last spring and I couldn't believe the amount of blood that was involved. We rushed him to the vet and they basically did what you've already done for your dog.

The bandage only stayed on for a couple of days, but vet said to watch the area for several days because it could re-open, and make sure to keep it clean.

oh...and he might still lose that nail. Pip's nail started to grow back in, but it was very deformed and didn't even look like a normal toenail. We had it removed because it was causing him some sensitivity to the paw. So keep an eye on the nail as it grows back in.

This was due to an injury, but there are certain tumors that are discovered in the toe when the nail is ripped off, which was really doe to the tumor...I would definietly have a vet rule this out, and for the meantime, cornstarch will help stop the bleeding without toxins...

HeatherFeather, may I ask how you know one of the antibiotics in triple antiobiotic cream is poisonous? It's what I use (vet-recommended), and I've been able to find nothing about it being bad for dogs, in fact, just the opposite...it seems to be widely used/recommended for a dog's minor injuries. Thanks for any info you can provide.

According to the American Red Cross, one of the antibiotics in triple antibiotic cream is poisonous to dogs. I learned this in my pet first aid class about a month ago. My understanding was that it was a fairly recent discovery and they were still researching it, as they did not know which of the three antibiotics was poisonous yet. My vet has also recommended that I not use any ointment on my dog unless she clears the ingredients.

Thanks for the update this is the first time I'm reading it I'm glad to hear he's doing better!!! --Also syptic powder (also called quik stop) works the same/better as flour. Sounds like you did the right thing. You'll probably have to keep an eye on it for a while. Good luck!!!!

Thanks guys Peace is getting lots of water and food (not too much food though) and plenty of reat/sleep. He still cant walk of his foot very well but does every once and a while. As far as the triple antibiotic, I called my vet and she said that it is NOT true that its Poisiones for dogs and is one of the BEST things for it and so Im going to stick with my vet on that one because I trust her and shes been our family vet for years! Sorry if that sounded rude = but anyway Thank you all for the tips again and support :o) It is very much appriciated!